


February 14th, 1939 (Art and Companion Ficlet)

by Eksdy



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Digital Art, Hugs, Light Angst, M/M, Pre-Captain America: The First Avenger, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Slash, Protective Bucky Barnes, Sick Character, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-28 21:29:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17795096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eksdy/pseuds/Eksdy
Summary: Steve had gotten real sick that year-- not so sick to where they'd started worrying he'd be off to join his ma, but sick enough.





	February 14th, 1939 (Art and Companion Ficlet)

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta'd because I accidentally wrote it in like four hours to go with the art I'd just finished. Also I have no idea what to tag here and it's 1am now.

  

 

* * *

 

Steve had gotten real sick that year-- not so sick to where they'd started worrying he'd be off to join his ma, but sick enough.

He’d spent almost a whole week in bed, shivering and wheezing, and coughing so loud and so forcefully that Bucky feared his ribs would crack from the pressure. Bucky hadn’t been able watch over other man as much as he would’ve liked, but Mr. Skezewitz at the green grocer had let him take a quick break at lunch each day to run up the street and check in on his pal, and his job at the docks hadn’t been keeping him too late that time of year, so he’d been free to spend his evenings puttering about the apartment, pretending to keep busy so that Steve didn’t accuse him of ‘hovering’.

When he’d come home for lunch on Tuesday afternoon and found Steve sitting up in bed, his clothes and the sheets around him absolutely soaked through with sweat, his fever having finally broken, he’d had to hold himself back from striding over and pulling the other man into a crushing embrace. Steve had still been very, very weak, but Bucky had spent the rest of his day at work practically glowing with happiness over the imminent return of his friend’s good health. _Mrs._ Skezewitz, noticing his brightened mood had asked him if he had a big date lined up that evening, and only then had it occurred to Bucky what day it was-- _February 14th_ \-- _Valentine’s Day_ , and James Buchanan Barnes without a date for the first time since grade school-- the thought oddly didn’t bother him as much as he would’ve expected.

His good mood still hadn’t dissipated by the time he clocked out at the docks, and, on a whim he stopped into the corner drug store and bought a bar of chocolate he knew Steve liked before making his way home. Steve was sleeping, so Bucky quietly set about fixing himself a pot of coffee on the stove. By the time the water had started to boil, Steve had woken up, stood on two very shaky legs, and obstinately joined him in the kitchen area, grabbing a mug and setting it out beside Bucky’s in a manner that brooked no argument. In turn, Bucky made Steve sit on the chair in the corner with a blanket wrapped around him and refused to let him help as he pulled the damp sheets off the bed-- they didn’t have any other clean sheets, but he figured even a bare mattress would be better for Steve than having to climb back into sweat-soaked bedding.

After that, he went back to the stove, pouring out both cups of coffee. When he returned to the other room, Steve had moved to sit on the bed, his eyelids starting to droop again, even as he reached out to take one of the mugs. Bucky took a seat on the bed next to him, and they both sat in silence for the next few minutes, before Bucky remembered his earlier purchase. He nudged Steve with his elbow, pulled the bar of chocolate out of his back pocket-- it had gotten a little warm, but didn’t seem overly melted-- and offered it up to the other man. Steve’s eyes immediately lit up, that wide smile Bucky had missed so terribly over the last week brightening the other man’s whole face, and Bucky had felt something in his chest flip over. God but his pal had a beautiful smile. Steve wasted no time, setting his mug down on the windowsill and grabbing the chocolate bar, tearing open the side and breaking off a good chunk of it, humming happily as he bit into it. He handed the rest of the bar back over to Bucky, who snapped off a tiny piece for himself and placed it on the bed beside him.

When he looked back towards Steve, the other man’s tired eyes were shut, a contented smile still on his face. Steve shivered slightly, and, without thinking, Bucky reached over to wrap the blanket more securely around him, landing in a loose embrace as Steve leaned towards him. Bucky couldn’t help but pull him closer, the other man’s head landing on his shoulder. Steve felt so slight in his arms, but he fit up against Bucky’s side so perfectly. This close, Bucky could see the few scattered nearly-invisible freckles that dotted over Steve’s nose. He wanted to kiss them-- he wouldn’t, of course he wouldn’t, but he wanted to. He tried so hard not to look at his pal like that, yet here Steve was, in his arms, cheeks and lips still so rosy from fever and he was just-- so, so beautiful.

Steve deserved far better than being the object of Bucky’s lust.

Bucky pulled himself away from Steve and stood, ignoring the way the other man grumbled slightly before curling up in the middle of the bed. He grabbed both mugs and the chocolate bar, and walked them to the kitchen area, finishing up his own cup on the way.

Maybe tomorrow he’d talk to that blonde dame, Glenda, who’d been batting her eyelashes at him the last few weeks-- see if she wanted to go out dancing. He could do with a bit of a distraction.

He glanced back towards the bedroom, where Steve lay, flat on his back, blanket thrown off, undershirt riding up just enough at the waist to show a clear strip of skin.

Yeah. A night out would definitely do him some good.

**Author's Note:**

> I was literally just going to write a couple sentences...


End file.
